Sherry B. Ortner: Retzius laureate 2001.

ORTNER, Sherry B., 1941-; AWARDS; ANTHROPOLOGY; ETHNOLOGY; INTELLECTUALS; TEACHERS

The article reports on the receipt of the Retzius award by Sherry B. Ortner, professor of Anthropology at Columbia University, New York for her contribution to the field of anthropology. The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography dates back to the 1880s. Its members are people with a general interest in the two disciplines, teachers, students and researchers. It offers awards for young scholars and arranges public lectures. An international symposium is arranged every year on April 24. Every third year the symposium is devoted to social anthropology. On this occasion, the gold medal is awarded to somebody who has played a significant inspirational role in Swedish anthropology. This medal carries the name of Anders Retzius, a Swedish scholar born in 1796. In 2001, the medal was awarded to Sherry Ortner in recognition of her distinguished contributions to anthropological theory and to South Asian ethnography. Professor Ortner has made major contributions to the development and critique of anthropological thought over a period of three decades and has also been an important figure in the continued development of South Asian ethnography.